


Strawberry Milk

by liddellmisswitch13



Category: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six (Video Games)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Mild Angst, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 09:42:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29451744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liddellmisswitch13/pseuds/liddellmisswitch13
Summary: Mark wants to express his feelings to Chul Kyung with a gift.
Relationships: Mark "Mute" Chandar/Chul Kyung "Vigil" Hwa
Kudos: 14





	Strawberry Milk

Sprinkles of little paper hearts littered the hallway, sticking to the bottom of Mark’s boots and leaving a trail in his wake; pink and red streamers hung from doorways, tickling those tall enough to reach them. There were a few times out of the year that the base became full of life and invigoration, unfortunately, Valentine’s Day was one of those times. Some of the youthful staff members were handing out single roses, along with some generic Valentine’s Day cards with cheesy quotes. One of those staff members offered Mark a rose, and not wanting to be rude, accepted it kindly.

Lovers stood in the hall, holding hands and smiling at each other with such tender affection, one couldn't help but smile. Mark felt a pang of jealously, but also anxiety. Squeezing past coworkers to get to the lab, he sighed heavily, shoulders sagging. His mind was being weighed down by his actions for today. After much counseling from Grace, it was decided (mainly by Grace) that now was the perfect time to confess. _Love is in the air! Use it!_

Most would think him mad for having a crush on Rainbow’s most quiet, lethal operator. Vigil—Chul Kyung—was far from perfect, but to Mark, he saw so much more. Despite the older man’s avoidance in emotional dealing, Mark had been able to see inklings of Chul Kyung’s character from light-hearted conversations they would have in the shop.

At first, it started with their common love of technological engineering. Chul Kyung had reevaluated Mark's Moni Disruptors when all operators' gadgets went up for eval and complimented the SAS member on his brilliance for such a compact, but powerful device. The compliment came as a shock because going into this Mark had his flimsy image of who Vigil was. However, his steady speech, his knowledge, and his wisdom were enough to show Mark that Vigil was the mask, while Chul Kyung was the person beneath it.

Like a moth drawn to a flame, Mark wanted more. He wanted to see the man beneath the ballistics mask. It was hard to get Chul Kyung alone, though. He was either attached to Craig's hip or trailing behind Grace. It sucked, but it was understandable that Chul Kyung clutched to those he knew better. Mark did the same thing when he was brought on to Rainbow. At the time, Mark only knew Seamus, because they had served in the same unit. The Scotsman was Mark's guiding light for months until he opened up to James and Mike.

Those months of struggling paid off though. A few minutes at a time turned to hours, and soon Chul Kyung came around more. Mark was happy, being able to share his brilliance with someone else. He was the youngest member on Rainbow (with Julien a close second), so not a lot of the other operators took Mark seriously. Chul Kyung however, was all ears when Mark had something to say. The moments of calm between them was never a bad thing either. It was a comfort they could relish in because everyone else just _had_ to fill in the silence.

Mark continued to daydream until he collided with the edge of his table. He groaned, rubbing the tender spot, and dropped his toolbox on the table. He inspected the single rose he was given in the hall, then proceeded to James’s desk to leave the rose in his pencil holder. The other Englishman was too content on his work to notice Mark, but once he started to walk away, James pounced like a cat on a toy. “Where do you think you’re going, babe?” His rough laugh made Mark roll his eyes, walking backward as James latched onto his wrist. “You’re gonna leave me a gift and not say hi? You’re rude, Chandar.”

“You looked busy,” Mark said in defense, groaning as James made him sit in his lap. His teammate was a very touchy fellow, and it was uncomfortable at first. However, time and familiarity turned this into a regular occurrence, and Mark was okay with it.

“Nah, nah, babe. You know I always have time for you,” James cooed, wrapping his arms around Mark, and looked up at him with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Oi, you busy tonight?”

Mark let the hugging happen and raised his brow at James’s question. “What? You and Liu aren’t doing anything today?”

“We are, but I wanted to know if my little Markie Poo found himself a date for tonight.” James laughed teasingly, and Mark groaned loudly, pushing James’s face away.

"Oh my God, you are _insufferable_!” He hissed. “Grace put you up to this, didn’t she?”

The two men bantered, causing those around them to either smile or just shake their heads. The sound of the lab door opening caught Mark’s attention, but whoever it had been left in a hurry. Mark slugged James on the shoulder, then slid off his lap to go back to work. Mark glanced up at the clock, noticing Chul Kyung was late today.

-

Chul Kyung had to leave. It was too much for him to take in at once and was afraid his chest might have exploded at that moment. He knew James and Liu were dating, so why did it fill Chul Kyung with a strange sensation to see Mark sitting in James’s lap and being held like that? _It doesn’t mean anything. Stop acting like this._

There was a hole forming in the pit of Chul Kyung’s stomach. A child-like embarrassment came over him, immediately thinking _“but he’s my friend.”_ Mark was his own man—he didn’t need to be attached to someone 24/7 to function properly. _Not like you_.

It took Chul Kyung a full minute to realize what was rearing its ugly head in the back of his knee, filling him with shame. Insecurity seized him, holding his arms at his sides, his fist clenching tightly on the handle of his toolbox. _Maybe he finally saw what others did. It wouldn’t have lasted: Grace hates you, remember? Craig can’t hold your hand anymore. You’re alone._ Chul Kyung closed his eyes, his breathing picking up a bit. _Why did you bother trying to make friends? They’ll only leave you behind_ —

A small gasp escaped Chul Kyung’s lips as he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to meet soft, brown eyes that were regarding him with concern. Chul Kyung was held by those eyes for a while before the rest of the owner's features came through. Mark's dark hair was a mess—it always was because he napped so often. His hands almost matched his eyes in color, but a bit lighter. They were calloused from tool usage, but they were still beautiful.

Taking a few, controlled breaths, Chul Kyung calmed down. He blinked as Mark repeated himself. “You okay, mate? You were kind of…out of it.” _Was he afraid of it? Of me?_

“I…was just trying to go over what we were going to discuss today.” Chul Kyung forced himself to meet Mark’s eye, but cowardice was starting to pull at his heel. Mark nodded and reached into his toolbox for something. Chul Kyung awkwardly stared at Mark as he held out a glass bottle of strawberry milk, tied with a red ribbon and a card. Shock overcame awe as Chul Kyung realized it was being handed to him.

Mark seemed nervous, but he collected himself. “I know you’ve said this holiday is a load of bullocks (not exactly your words), but I wanted to give you something…” Mark’s cheeks heated up, and his heartbeat rapidly in his chest. He watched Chul Kyung take the bottle and looked it over.

“It’s strawberry milk,” he said, shaking the bottle and hearing the small pieces of ice clink.

“It’s homemade,” Mark blurted out, his mouth immediately growing a mind of its own, “fresh strawberries, whole milk—” He stopped himself, trying to give Chul Kyung some time to process all of this. The longer the silence was drawn out, the more nervous Mark became. _Maybe I went too far—what if he freaks out?_

After some time, Chul Kyung looked up at Mark and nodded in thanks. He lingered on the words he was about to say, but seeing as Mark took his shot, Chul Kyung would do the same. “Are you giving this to me as a friend, or something more?”

_Oh shit._ Mark clammed up, struggling with his answer. _All this anti-terrorism prep, but I still can be upfront about my feelings_. “I like you, Chul Kyung.” Mark started, taking in a deep breath. “I want to be able to get to know you more. You’re…more than a friend to me—but if you’re not comfortable with this, that’s fine too.” _One step forward, two steps back_ …

Chul Kyung went silent again. He looked back at the bottle, then popped open the lid. He casually took a drink, and he sighed contently. “It’s really good.” He said, then looked up at Mark. “You’re the only other person I have gotten to know on my own. I want to continue that." He met Mark's gaze once again and nodded once. Mark knew what he was trying to say.

The butterflies that had been sleeping in Mark’s stomach come alive all at once. He returned Chul Kyung's head nod and cracked a smile too. "I'd like that. I'd like that very much."

The two men started back towards the lab but took a detour towards the common room. There, Chul Kyung showed Mark how to make another one of his favorite snacks, and once their culinary creation had been finished, shared it. The floor was covered with fallen flakes of food and little paper hearts that stuck to the bottom of their boots. They were unbothered by them, now that they meant so much more.

**Author's Note:**

> I had to write something for my boys on this, the day of my daughter's wedding.  
> (also sorry if it's cheesy. I am weak ok)
> 
> Happy Valentine's Day yall! :)


End file.
